Does venting with friends lead to depression for teen girls?

by Lauren Greschner (Subscribe to Lauren Greschner's posts)
Jul 20th 2007 1:20PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation

I came across this article about a study that concludes teen girls (and adult women as well) who spend too much time talking with friends about their problems may face a higher instance of depression. If it's true, I find this news is some of the most disappointing I've heard in ages. In fact, I find it kind of depressing all on its own.

Apparently both girls and boys (and men and women) vent about their problems with friends, which helps form stronger bonds and also should make them feel better. But study results showed that, often when teen girls share their negative feelings, it only leads to additional discussion and more negative feelings. For some, the pattern continues and ends in depression.

The piece does say that many of the girls who became depressed were prone to sadness and anxiety anyway. It also makes sure to point out that talking about their feelings doesn't automatically lead to depression for girls, but that it is a possible outcome. Personally, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my girlfriends to talk to about problems with relationships, friendships, work and even just a bad day. It definitely has never made me feel worse. How about you? Have you ever found that venting has made you more unhappy about a certain situation?

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Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

melissa dahl 7-31-2007 @ 12:40PM

Hi there,

This is a weird thing to post on a blog, but I'm a journalist for MSNBC.com, and your post caught my eye! I'm actually working on a story based on that study you mention -- about how venting to your friends seems to lead to depression.

You had some interesting things to say about the study, and I'd love to chat with you about this over the phone. If you're interested, e-mail me at melissa.dahl@msnbc.com. (It should only take 10-15 minutes, and it's sure to be a fun conversation!)

Thanks,

Melissa Dahl
Health writer/editor, MSNBC.com

Amanda 8-06-2007 @ 8:37PM

I know this is a couple of days late, but I found this study to be very encouraging, actually. I think there's a big difference from honestly working something out with your friends, as opposed to more aimless "venting". There are some things we need to talk about in order to find our footing in the situation, and many more things that we say simply to feel good about blowing off steam. The second option is what I have found to be extremely unhelpful. The good feeling only lasts for as long as the vent.

I have been in too many conversations where either I, or someone else I'm speaking to, actually gets more and more worked up as the conversation continues. Negative emotion leads to negative language which leads to a greater negative emotion which leads to more intense language, etc., etc., etc. When all is said and done, the cycle is really self-destructive and ends up turning an ordinary bad day into bona-fide drama. Rather than talking our way out of our unpleasant feelings, we end up working ourselves up into a tizzy over something that may or may not be worth our angst.

Of course, this is not the only way such conversations can end up, but it happens often enough that I'm eager to eliminate venting as much as I can from my conversations.

Nymphadora 8-18-2007 @ 1:40PM

I believe it...I'd say it's because if you keep talking about it more things pop into your head, espicially if it's about a break-up or the possibility of being cheated on and the like. All the "What if"s and "Why?"s can make things worse, its better to say something to your friend just to get it out then drop it (unless you're looking for advice) and try to talk about something happier and uplifting. That's what I've found works best. Sometimes you just can't help yourself if you're really depressed though.